WANGADYA: MPs asked for 20% to increase UHRC budget from sh19bn to sh58bn

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A request by the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) to have its budget pushed from sh19 billion to sh58 billion was early this year frustrated by a demand by MPs of 20% of it, court was told today.

Testifying today, the chairperson of Uganda Human Rights Commission Mariam Wangadya told Justice Lawrence Gidudu of her frustrations as she sought to increase her UHRC budget.

“This commission requested from the government  58 billion shillings, but what had been released was little over 19 billion, which fell far short of what we needed to execute our mandate. The committee listened to our cries, but nothing changed,” she said.

She narrated that one MP (she doesn’t recall) told her that he would lead her to his colleague, who in turn would help support the UHRC and have its 58 billion shillings budget approved.

Wangadya  said she had earlier outright rejected an inital demand of 5%. This was at a committee meeting at Parliament, that Wangadya said was attended by the committee chairperson, Robinah Rwakojo, vice chairperson, Yusuf Mutembuli, and other members.

“He (Mutembuli) said that usually, MDAs (Ministries, Departments, and Agencies) offer a cut of 5% of their budget to Members of Parliament before it is approved as it is. And we should do the same. He later asked for the telephone number of the [UHRC] accounting officer, which I gave to him,” Wangadya  told court

Wangadya was testifying as the trial of three Members of Parliament facing corruption charges kicked off at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on Friday.

Wangadya narrated that MPs, Robina Rwakoojo, and Yusuf Mutembuli the Vice Chairperson, and other members she could not remember promised to lead her to someone who would help resolve the commission’s problems.

Wangadya told the court  MP, Fox Odoi approached her and offered to lead her to the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, is a lawyer and West Budama North MP. He previously worked in the President’s office.

According to Wangadya, Fox Odoi left her with Yusuf Mutembuli.

She stated that Mutembuli said the Uganda Human Rights Commission’s problems would require the presence of the Accounting Officer as well.  Mutembuli allegedly told her that the solution was that UHRC give a cut of 5 percent of its budget to the Members of Parliament and she should do the same.

Wangadya said she refused, but Mutembuli insisted that she should call her Accounting Officer who would probably understand it better.

Wangadya’s said that Mutembuli said if there is no 5 percent cut, they were not going to have the budget increased as per the phone call conversation told to her by Accountant Margaret  Ejang.

She said the accountant refused and said she rather resign from the job than give a bribe. Wangadya said to date; her budget remains a miserable sh15 billion shillings.

Wangadya narrated that later, Mutembuli called her promising to take her to his colleague who would listen to her and help UHRC.

Wangadya told the court that she discovered that the person they took her to was, Mudimi Wamakuyu the Elgon County MP. Mudimi Wamkuyu is currently detained at Luzira for allegedly stealing money meant to compensate cooperatives

Wangadya said donors had threatened to stop funding the commission and some offices of the commission had already closed.

She said she wanted to resign because she felt the government had put her in an office that they never wanted to fund. She feared being branded a failure.

Wangadya said she met President Museveni in April 2024 and narrated her problems since September 2021 when she was appointed to the commission.

She reportedly told the president that she had been humiliated enough, and asked for the President’s intervention to resuscitate the Commission by funding it.

President Museveni advised her not to resign because he was very annoyed and promised to act, according to the testimony.

Wangadya said that she left and later got a call from Mutembuli saying they should meet him and his colleagues at Hotel Africana.

The Court further heard that when Mutembuli called Wangadya on May 13, 2024, she was at the Housing Finance Bank, and was called thrice.

Wangadya told the court that she called the ADC of President Museveni, Major Betty Agaba, and that Agaba responded that the President had already laid a trap to catch the MPs involved in corruption.

Agaba reportedly asked Wangadya not to move anywhere but to wait for her at Housing Finance Bank.   She said an hour later, Major Agaba arrived with a recording device and said she had instructions from the President that she should use that recorder.

Wangadya said Major Agaba showed her how to use the recording device, which was a pen recorder, and after learning how to operate it, she left to meet Mutembuli and the group.

Wangadya narrated that she found Mutembuli and Paul Akamba and they waited for Cissy Namujju, the Lwengo Woman MP to arrive because she had been told that she was very vital.

Wangadya said Namujju arrived and was introduced to her by Mutembuli.

Wangadya was able to identify Cissy Namujju who was in the dock as the person she met at Africana.

In the meeting at Africana, Wangadya said she was told that the MPs wanted compliance with her colleagues, and Namujju asked her how much she was willing to surrender.

In response, Wangadya told them they had previously asked for 5 percent. But then Mutembuli said if he was in Wangadya’s situation at the UHRC, she would even consent to 20 percent of the Commission’s budget.

It’s Wangadya’s testimony that the three MPs later went through the budget Committee of the UHRC which also included the activities they were to carry out as the Commission.

According to Wangadya, Namujju, Mutembuli and Akamba analyzed the budget and started looking for activities to scrap off, basically, the ones that would be easily accounted for.

Wangadya said Namujju told her in Luganda that if they pass her budget and she does not give them 20 percent, “ajakutabuka” (get annoyed) because the campaign periods were near.

She was told that Namujju was very powerful and could reach everyone in the country including the President.

The court heard that after the Africana meeting, she handed over the recording device to Major Agaba.

The recording was later handed over to CID and through police officer Susan Kasingye, she recorded a statement and surrendered her phone for forensic analysis.

Wangadya wanted to play the voices of the recorded conversations, but the suspects’ lawyers protested. They said she was not an expert on recorded voices, and they were not sure if the voices were for their clients.

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URN